Monaco tried to lure Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini in £6.4m talks

 

Ian Herbert
Friday 02 November 2012 01:00 GMT
Comments
Roberto Mancini: The Italian denied he was in talks with other clubs
Roberto Mancini: The Italian denied he was in talks with other clubs (AFP/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, held discussions with Monaco for a period of four months earlier this year, as the club sought to entice him on a salary of £6.4m.

Mancini denied to journalists during the club's pre-season tour, this summer, the persistent rumours that he had been in conversations with the side as he headed into the final 12 months of a three-and-a-half-year contract. But it is understood that the Russian Football Association was also interested in securing the Italian before choosing his compatriot Fabio Capello. It has become clear that Mancini's bargaining position in securing the £38m deal with City, in July, which left him second only to Jose Mourinho among the best-paid European managers, was strengthened by a lengthy period of talks with Monaco.

When that club also tabled their own five-year contract for him at a meeting in Rome the salary on offer was tax-free. Monaco's majority shareholder, the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, believed he had done enough to entice Mancini away – at a time when Mancini was unhappy with the club's sluggish preparations for the summer transfer market. Rybolovlev bought his majority stake in Monaco last December and is intent on using his vast resources to restore the club to the Champions League. Monaco, 2004 Champions League finalists, have now dropped into Ligue 2.

City did not comment on the manager's Monaco talks last night, although it is thought the Italian is sanguine about the fact that a number of offers were on the table at a time when his contract was running down and when City's course towards the Premier League title was proving to be a bumpy one.

There has been a view at the Etihad for well over a year that Mancini's outbursts against the former football administrator Brian Marwood are deeply unwelcome and that he might improve his interpersonal skills with the players. It is certain that he would have been made aware of these issues this spring.

After his club's 1-0 defeat at Arsenal in early April, a result that left Mancini's team eight points behind United in the title race, there were no guarantees that he would be retained, should City fail to clinch the title.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in